Press

September 11, 1988

Made You Look

By Bill Cunningham

photographs for The New York Times by Bill Cunningham

Lately it has made news for other reasons, but Tompkins Square Park has long been a place for freewheeling fashion expression. It remains so, in spite of recent troubles. In Tompkins Square the dress reflects good-natured anarchy. And at Wigstock, the exuberant group that troops through the park may be giving a collective thumb to more conventional styles, but it’s done with a smile, not a smirk. These clothes are frequently outlandish, and almost always wonderful.

Some of the clothes look as if they’re put regularly through a blender instead of a washing machine. This group’s outfits exhibit a distinctive torn and shredded quality, with tattered edges and loose threads dangling. Then there are all the patterns on display – plaids and checks and polka dots; the underlying philosophy seems to be, if it sticks out, wear it. And if there’s a predominant color in Tompkins Square, it’s black, which can be found on crinolines and halter-tops, many of them skimpy. Rules for hair are also out the window, though floor-length wigs appear to be catching on.